Air fryer baked potatoes turn out beautifully, creamy and fluffy white on the inside, with crisp golden skin, in less time than it takes to bake them in the oven.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: It’s much faster to bake potatoes in the air fryer and they turn out great.
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: air fryer
Servings: as many as you want (that will fit inside your air fryer)
In just forty minutes, you can have a perfect baked potato. Really, a perfect baked potato. Maybe the best baked potato you’ve ever had.
Perhaps you already know that your air fryer does a superb job making potatoes. You’ve probably already tried French fries, tater tots, or maybe even sweet potato fries in your air fryer. I love to make those cute little baby potatoes in my air fryer too.
But maybe you haven’t thought of making baked potatoes in your air fryer. I mean, they’re baked, right? Not fried?
Well, we all have caught on to the fact that air fryers don’t really fry. They’re really little mini ovens with a fan that circulates a lot of hot air. Turns out that is just exactly what you need to make a great baked potato, and in just forty minutes.
Give it a try! I’m pretty sure you’re going to be eating a lot of baked potatoes from now on. Because they’re good. Really good. And easy. Really easy. Make a baked potato dinner tonight. Top your potato with all the fixings and dig in.
Why You’ll Love air fryer baked potatoes
- Familiar: Making air fryer baked potatoes is almost exactly like making oven baked potatoes. Really, the only difference is that they take less time and you don’t have turn your oven on. (Have you tried Instant Pot baked potatoes yet? That’s a great way to go, too.)
- Perfect Texture: What blew us away the most about this method of cooking a baked potato was the perfect crispy skin and the fluffy interior.
- Quick: Air fryer baked potatoes cook in about half the itme as an oven baked potato.
What you’ll need
- Potatoes: For a classic baked potato, buy large russet potatoes or Idaho potatoes. Russets have a fluffy texture and mild taste that are perfect for baking. You can also bake Yukon gold potatoes, but cooking time and texture will vary.
- Olive Oil: Avocado oil works great, too. Or spray the potatoes lightly with olive or avocado oil spray.
- Kosher Salt: The large grains are perfect for sticking to the potatoes and add a nice little crunch.
- Black Pepper: Freshly ground is best!
How To Store Potatoes
Never store your uncooked potatoes in the fridge, where the starch will turn to sugar. Store potatoes (unwashed) in a paper sack, mesh bag, or box in a cool dark place. Avoid using plastic bags which may trap moisture. Moist conditions will cause the potatoes to sprout or rot more quickly.
How To Make This Recipe
Baked potatoes are so simple to make. Get your air fryer preheating and prepare the potatoes. Give them a good scrubbing, dry them off, and poke them lightly a few times with a fork or small sharp knife (to let the steam escape). Coat them lightly with oil, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper and stick them in the air fryer.
They’ll need about forty minutes to bake. The baking time depends on your air fryer and the size of the potatoes you’re cooking (see recipe notes).
When the potatoes are done, make a lengthwise slit in the top with a sharp knife, and gently squeeze the potato from the bottom to open it up a bit. The potatoes are really hot, of course, so protect your hand with a clean oven mitt or dish towel.
Wrapping potatoes with foil traps the moisture inside. The steamed skin will be softer but we prefer a seasoned crisp skin. The light coating of olive oil keeps the skin from getting tough. Save money and time and skip the foil!
The temperature of the air fryer should be set at 400°F for best results.
While baked potatoes don’t have to be carefully timed (a little extra time doesn’t hurt them), you don’t want to bake them until they’re hard and dry.
Poke a fork into the potato. You shouldn’t feel a lot of resistance; the fork should go in easily. Or, try squeezing the potato gently. If it still feels rock-like, it’s not ready yet. It should feel sort of squishy.
Baked Potato Topping Ideas
- Butter: Use real butter and let it come to room temperature while the potato is baking. When you top your potato, the butter will quickly and deliciously melt down into all the nooks and crannies of your baked potato. You really won’t need anything else except maybe a little more salt and pepper. So good!
- Sour Cream: Again, room temperature is best. Who wants ice cold sour cream on their nice hot potato?
- Cheese: Try shredded sharp cheddar, smoked Gouda, sharp Swiss cheese, crumbled blue cheese or gorgonzola. Cheese sauce is perfect, too, or homemade beer cheese.
- Crispy Bacon: For no mess bacon, you’ll love this easy oven baked bacon recipe. Don’t want to turn on the oven? Try air fryer bacon.
- Cooked Diced Ham or Sausage: Whatever kind you like best!
- Sautéed Mushrooms: Make the best sauteed mushrooms; it’s really very easy and they taste great on baked potatoes.
- Chili: This Slow Cooker Texas Chili is so good on a baked potato.
- Green Onions (scallions), Parsley, or Cilantro: Chop them up and sprinkle them on for a dash of fresh flavor and color.
Scrub the potatoes and dry them. You can do this well in advance of baking. Don’t poke holes in them until you’re ready to bake them. Cut potatoes oxidize, that is, when the starch is exposed to air, it turns an unappetizing gray.
- Storage: Baked potatoes, wrapped well, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. Baked potatoes don’t freeze well.
- Reheating: While baked potatoes are at their best when you eat them right away, they can be reheated. For best results, let them come to room temperature first, then place them right on the rack of a preheated oven (350°F) for ten to fifteen minutes or until heated through. You can also reheat them in the air fryer at 350°F for five minutes or so.
More Air Fryer Magic
Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 medium russet potatoes (about 10 oz. each)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil (you can also use olive oil or avocado oil spray)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Scrub potatoes clean and pat dry. Pierce the skin of each potato a few times with a sharp knife or fork. Coat outside of potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper.
- Cook in air fryer at 400°F for 25 minutes, flip over, and continue to cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
- Serve immediately with desired toppings.
Notes
- Storage Tips: Never store uncooked potatoes in the fridge, where the starch will turn to sugar. Store potatoes in a paper sack (not plastic), mesh bag, or box in a cool dark place. Baked potatoes, wrapped well, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. Baked potatoes don’t freeze well.
- Reheating Suggestions: For best results, let them come to room temperature first, then place them right on the rack of a preheated oven (350°F) for ten to fifteen minutes or until heated through. They can also be reheated in the air fryer.
- If your potato is much larger than 10 oz, you’ll need to add cooking time. Plan to add 2-3 minutes for every ounce that your potato is over 10 oz.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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